Nike drives Rooney and McIlroy straight down the middle to launch Ordem football for Brazil world cup

We observed a couple of weeks ago, apropos Santander’s disastrous sports celeb TV campaign in the UK, that tyro golfer Rory McIlroy should never be allowed in front of a camera again.

With the proviso – unless he was playing golf.

And here he is, wielding a mashie niblet or whatever sponsor Nike has armed him with these days, alongside Wayne Rooney to launch the super-dooper new Nike Ordem football (which homes in on the goal, makes you a cocktail etc).

It’s neat idea to get Rooney to play against him with an Ordem (odd name, more of which later) even if it borrows something from a famous Pepsi exhibition by David Beckham. And to do all this to a gloriously silly tune ‘Straight Down The Middle’ from Bing Crosby with a nice in-joke cameo from former Brazil star Ronaldo.

Brazil, of course, is the venue for the 2014 World Cup (if they finish the stadia on time and the police don’t kill everybody). Ordem e Progresso (Order and Progress) is the Brazilian national motto (a touch ironic given recent events), hence the strange name for the football.

And the ad itself was made by Wieden+Kennedy’s newish Sao Paulo office although it was shot in Cheshire by the ace British director Daniel Kleinman.

Some have credited the agency as ‘Nike Brand Communications’ which is a bit peculiar. Is Nike going the same way as some of WPP’s customers – becoming agency as well as client?

Should make for some interesting discussions in Portland.